Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Voting under way in Florida Primary; Romney's Relentless Final Florida Push; U.N. May Seek Ouster of Syrian President; Lawsuit: FDA Monitored Personal Emails; Voting Under Way in Florida Primary; Not Enough English Skills for Office; Not Enough English Skills for Office; Asteroid Nears Earth; Instant Classic: Griffin Dunk; $1 Million for Obama's Old Car

Aired January 31, 2012 - 09:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, Soledad. Thanks so much.

Good morning, everyone. So far this election season there have been three Republican contests and three different winners. And today that line is drawn in the Florida sand. Voting underway in the state's all-important primary. And the last polls remain open nearly 11 more hours. And for the candidates, the stakes are huge. Fifty delegates are up for grabs. The largest haul yet. The winner takes all of them and seizes momentum as the clear-cut frontrunner.

So if the polls are right, Mitt Romney could be coasting to an easy win in Florida. But in politics never take anything for granted.

CNN's John Zarella is at a polling place there in Tampa. The suburb actually of Lithia.

So, John, how's the turnout been?

JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, real good. This is actually the largest Republican precinct in Hillsboro County, the Tampa area. About 3800 registered Republicans here and turnout has been very good this morning. A lot of people going before work. A lot of families come and drop -- before dropping off their kids at school. So quite a good turnout.

You know, there's 232,000 registered Republicans in Hillsboro County. I talked to the election supervisor a little while ago. He was telling me that they expected a very good turnout. Counting all of the early voting and the people that are likely to vote today could be 40 to 50 percent, he said, of that 232,000. So he expects quite a few people to vote today.

Here, Kyra, is an example of the ballot that we were talking about earlier. There's actually nine candidates on the Florida ballot, you can see there. And the supervisor was telling me, you know, they got some calls from people saying, hey, can we have our ballots back? Of course they can't. It's a secret ballot.

But a lot of people who voted early really voted for people who, you know, have already dropped out of the race. So you know, they were actually hoping they could get their ballots back but, again, they can't.

I did have an opportunity this morning to talk with two voters, and I asked them who they voted for and why.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RUTH, FLORIDA REPUBLICAN VOTER: Newt Gingrich. I mean, he is the smartest guy in the room so that's why I was with him for a long time, but I want somebody who is not going to have a skeleton jump out at the last minute.

ZARRELLA: Safe bet?

RUTH: Safe bet.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Even though I prefer Santorum, there's no way Santorum is going to win so I'm trying to vote for whoever has the best shot at knocking Mitt Romney off.

ZARRELLA: So you voted for Newt Gingrich?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, exactly.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ZARRELLA: You know, and Ruth who I talked to there first, she actually brought her three kids, 7, 8, and 9. She wanted to give them a civics lesson, she said, of the importance of voting and the great privilege that we have in this country. A lot of people like that bringing their kids here this morning -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Nobody likes those last-minute skeletons, do they? And question for you, John. You have covered Florida a long time. How do you think this primary campaign compares to others?

ZARRELLA: You know, nothing is going to compare to the 2000 election, that's for sure, the general election. And you know, coming -- and coming out of that election then the next couple everybody's eyes were on Florida to see if we would get it right here so there was a huge, huge -- everybody's eyes were on Florida back then. And then of course four years ago, in 2008, you had both parties with big, huge primaries here in the state, but now the two Democratic candidates, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, you know, they did not campaign in Florida for the primaries basically out of protest from the Democratic Party because Florida had moved its primary up.

The Republicans were here, and as most people recall, that Senator John McCain won Florida, and that pretty much catapulted him out of Florida into the victory. Florida certainly pivotal back then. Pivotal in a lot of different ways in a lot of different years. And for the Republican Party, probably going to be pivotal today -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: I'm trying to figure out how you could get a hanging chad from that ballot you just showed me. I don't think we're going to see it happen. John --

(LAUGHTER)

ZARRELLA: No.

PHILLIPS: Thanks a lot.

All right. Well, Mitt Romney has a healthy double-digit lead in Florida. We've talked about that but it doesn't mean that he's laying off Newt Gingrich in the last hours before the polls close.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I know the speaker is not real happy. Speaker Gingrich. He's not feeling very excited these days. I know, it's sad. He's been flailing around a bit trying to go after me for one thing or the other. You just watch it and you shake your head. It's been kind of painfully revealing to watch.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: CNN political editor Paul Steinhauser live in Tampa.

So, Paul, Gingrich had a lot of momentum off of South Carolina. What the heck happened?

PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN POLITICAL EDITOR: Hey, Kyra, don't be joking about those chads. We don't want to go through that again. OK, come on, stop that right now. Now let's talk about that momentum. Yes, you're right. Double-digit victory for Gingrich in South Carolina. A week and a half later, my, how times have changed.

Check this out. This is the Quinnipiac poll, Kyra, it came out yesterday morning. People likely to vote today and look who's on top there by 14 points. Mitt Romney over Newt Gingrich. Santorum and Paul pretty low down there. This is one of five polls, Kyra, that's come out over the last 48 hours indicating the same thing. Romney on top by double digits. How did he do it?

Listen, Romney started -- he learned some of his mistake, I guess, in South Carolina. He started going on the offense, putting Gingrich on the defense. He started going up with big ads here in Florida and that super PAC that's been spending a lot of money, between the two of them, out-spending the Gingrich campaign by about four or five to one on the Gingrich super PAC as well.

And the debates, Kyra. We saw Romney have two strong debates last week. Gingrich not so much including our own in Jacksonville.

Late behind there that's the Tampa Convention Center. That's where Mitt Romney is going to have its HQ tonight. He's hoping it's going to be a big victory celebration. Gingrich, though, listen, he's not given up any way. Not at all. He's on the attack against Romney basically saying that Romney is lying about Gingrich's record.

Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) NEWT GINGRICH (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We're going to beat their big lie campaign with a big truth campaign. We're going to beat money power with people power. We are going to go all the way to the convention and we are going to win in Tampa and we are going to be the nominee with your help of the Republican Party.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STEINHAUSER: That's another one of the story lines here in Florida, Kyra. Things got uglier here. It was ugly in the previous states, it got uglier here in Florida -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Paul Steinhauser to cover all the ugliness. We'll stay on top of it. Thank you so much.

(LAUGHTER)

PHILLIPS: Well, no one knows Florida politics quite like Charlie Christ. The former governor and the former Republican joins me exclusively live in just about an hour. We'll ask him about the primary, the impact of the Tea Party movement and why the fight for Florida has gotten so nasty.

Well, CNN tonight all eyes are going to turn to the Florida primary, of course. We're going to kick off our special coverage at 6:00 Eastern with a special edition of "JOHN KING, USA." That's followed by complete live coverage of primary results at 7:00 with Wolf Blitzer, Erin Burnett, Anderson Cooper, Candy Crowley, John King and more.

Well, today the United Nations may tell Syria's president he must go. This video posted online explains all the reasons why. It reportedly shows armed rebels in street battles with Syrian troops, antigovernment protesters being shot and killed. The Syrian regime has banned reporters from this conflict. So much of what we see comes from home video like this posted on YouTube.

So many of these images are pretty fascinating as well. This video actually claims to show two civilians hanging the Independence flag of Syria over a highway in Damascus. It's a brazen show of defiance because it's unfurled near the party headquarters of embattled President Assad.

And there's this funeral procession, a reminder of the hundreds of people reportedly killed in just the past few days.

Let's get back to the U.N. now and this call for Assad's ouster. Russia is weighing in and warning about a possible civil war in Syria.

Zain Verjee is in London following the story. Tell us more, Zain.

ZAIN VERJEE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Good morning, Kyra. The battles are raging on on the streets of Syria. But battles lines have also been drawn at the United Nations. Let me give you a sense of what some of the newspaper headlines around the world are saying. OK, Kyra. Let's go to "The International Herald Tribune" first. "Russia's Syrian power play," is what it focuses on. It says this, Kyra. "In the end Russia's bold declarations and actions in support of the Assad regime are cold calculations meant to revive its position as a global superpower backing the Assad regime is not based on ideological or moral convictions but on pure power politics."

Remember, it's Russia, Kyra, that's playing tough with the U.N. saying they're going to veto this thing if it goes through.

Take a look at "Gulf News." Its headline, "Russia seeks win-win formula in Syria." It says, "Russia still believes that it can democratize the Syrian government from within, securing a soft landing for Syria. The Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin wants to make sure neither the Turks nor the Americans get a real say in how Syria develops in the months ahead."

Finally a little closer to home, Kyra. I like this in "The Washington Post" today, headline, "Saving Syria." It says, "As long as it has Russia's diplomatic and material support, the Assad regime is more likely to hold together. That's why the high level lobbying campaign at the Security Council is important and why the Obama administration should place Russian cooperation on Syria at the top of the bilateral agenda with Moscow.

Kyra, just to emphasize, too, the Russians have had a longstanding commercial and strategic relationship with Syria. They in the past have supplied them with a lot of arms. There really is a big question mark which they're going to go right now. There's a huge amount of pressure at the United Nations, from the U.S., from Europeans and other countries, saying you've got to get tougher on Syria. Get Assad to step down and the Russians are going whoa, whoa, whoa, we're not sure we want that -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Well, we have all eyes on the U.N. today to monitor what happens if anything does.

Zain, thank so much.

Well, we've all done it. Sent personal e-mail on company computers knowing that they can be monitored. Well, some employees don't like it. And they're suing their employer. Do they really a have a case?

And tight squeeze on thieves. Hundred and 45 Ausies go for the world record. That story in 10 minutes.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Checking stories now "Cross-Country." A bomb scare at New York's LaGuardia airport created quite a scene. It started when a TSA screener confiscated two items from a passenger's bag and just set them aside. Well, a few hours later a new shift of screeners found the items and had no idea what they were so they called the bomb squad. Turns out they were medical devices.

A community in central Texas is running out of water from the state's historic drought so it's trucking in water. Eight thousand gallons arrived in Spicewood Beach. Shipments may have to continue for weeks or months depending on the weather.

And voters in Oregon revealed today who they want to fill the house seat vacated by former representative David Wu. The seven-term Democrat resigned last year after a series of bizarre news stories. It started with this photo of him wearing a tiger costume. And then it ended with a young woman's accusation that he made unwanted sexual advances toward her.

The warning is clear, if you e-mail on your work computer your boss says he or she has every right to look at it. But six employees at the FDA say they disagree and they're suing the government agency.

Our Ashleigh Banfield on the story for us. So what do you think, Ashleigh, do they have a case?

ASHLEIGH BANFIELD, ANCHOR, CNN'S EARLY START: Well, first of all, can I just tell you? Every time you call me, I now have to bring my Declaration of Independence and Constitution, because you test my mettle so much with your questions, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: But I know, I know you can always come through and pull it off for us. So --

BANFIELD: I think they can in this case, but I'll be honest with you, this is really, really tricky. We all know when we use our BlackBerrys from work or our laptops at work, that our companies can monitor us, right? What if we go on to our Google account, or our Yahoo account like these doctors did -- they were worried that they had looked over some devices, some medical devices, they didn't think were safe and yet, got approved. And they wanted to tell Congress about that, so they did that, on their work computers but going to their Google and Yahoo accounts.

And now, they're suing, saying, you should not have been able to use or monitor us, FDA. You should not have been able to monitor us because we were protected under the Whistleblowers Act.

Here's where it gets a little bit complicated. They're actually citing three different amendments. The First Amendment right to free speech, the Fourth Amendment right to unlawful search and seizure, and your Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination.

They might have a case in a way, but it all comes down to what you just said, Kyra. There's a big, fat warning on those computers that says, you could be monitored. And, therefore, your expectation of privacy just shouldn't be there. This will really test people.

PHILLIPS: Isn't there an assumption though, OK, work e-mail, understood?

BANFIELD: Right.

PHILLIPS: But if you log on to your personal e-mail, like you mentioned, through these other accounts, I don't think a lot of people realize that your company can actually monitor those as well, right?

BANFIELD: You're absolutely right. I think people think they're safe when they're using hard gear belonging to the company and going to the soft gear that belongs to you. You are not necessarily, although public institutions have a little bit of a different standard. The Supreme Court has protected, in fact, the right to someone's privacy against the -- against an extreme case.

And really what it comes down to is what's reasonable. What's a reasonable search? You know that Fourth Amendment protects us al from unreasonable searches by police and institutions, right? And it's the same from the computer somewhat. But I think at least the great thing about this case is that it's going get us all to really hash out where the line is being drawn with regard to cyber security, not only for the companies but also for us and our protections as wannabe whistleblowers.

But this is going to be a good one to watch, albeit really confusing.

PHILLIPS: Yes, definitely. Well, we're going to keep our eyes on it, that's for sure. We just woke everybody up.

BANFIELD: And I'll tell you what? The takeaway is, guess what? Do not use your work BlackBerrys if you think there might be an issue. These whistleblowers could have used their home computers and their Google accounts and none of this would be an issue.

PHILLIPS: Thanks, Ashleigh.

BANFIELD: Sure.

PHILLIPS: Coming up next, a consumer group says that poor people pay more for auto insurance. Why it blames insurance company bias, next.

And wide shot on the water -- 145 skiers aim for a world record. Did the Aussie team do it? Stay tuned.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Well, lovely weather Down Under for water skiing with your friends, say about 145 friends at the same time, maybe behind the same boat.

Our Zain Verjee here.

It's fair to say a world record.

ZAIN VERJEE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Yes, it's easy peasy, Kyra. Come on. This is just a little gymnastics on a boat there Down Under.

Take a look at this really cool video, 145 people behind a boat there. Look at that massive boom that they're all grabbing. It costs something like $100,000. There they are.

That's actually how you start when you water ski, you get in this crouched position. But they went on one nautical mile and just held on for dear life on that boom. And some of them crashed into each other and lost one ski, and a few of them had to drop out.

But it was still a record -- 145 people made it across the finish line. The youngest was 12. The oldest was 60. And they were absolutely determined to do it.

That's really cool video, right, Kyra? I mean, it's very hard to do water skiing. I tried it once before. You have to have really strong thighs. I know you do, Kyra, but --

PHILLIPS: Yes. Well, I'm looking -- Betsy Anderson, who's one of our producers, I don't know if you remembered her when you lived here in Atlanta. You know, she's a famous barefoot skier. She said, they cheated, they used skis.

It's not a world record.

VERJEE: It's not a cheat, Betsy.

PHILLIPS: Exactly.

VERJEE: it's hard. Look at that. Look at that video. That's dramatic.

I think they beat the one before. I think there was like 114 people, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Wow.

VERJEE: This was 145. Is Betsy on the Guinness Book of Records committee?

PHILLIPS: You know what? Stay tuned. That's part two. Thank you, Zain.

VERJEE: Hi, Betsy.

PHILLIPS: Poor Betsy.

All right. Well, our auto insurance companies gouging poor people? Well, new study finds some pretty startling unfairness, shall we say.

Felicia Taylor has been following this for us -- Felicia.

FELICIA TAYLOR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Kyra, I just have to admit, I loved to water ski. I would I have been even more impressed if they did it on one ski as opposed to two. I think your producer's right, they cheated.

PHILLIPS: Remember, she said no skis, Felicia. OK. So, the next world record --

TAYLOR: Right. I would settle for one.

PHILLIPS: OK. That's hard though. Come on now. All right.

TAYLOR: It's fun though. Anyway. All right, on to car insurance.

PHILLIPS: Tell us about this. Yes, do tell about this car insurance story.

TAYLOR: OK. So in most states, it's mandatory. And as everybody knows, it's pretty expensive. It costs about $1,800 a year on average. So, that's kind of a big nut.

But a Consumer Federation of America study found it's even worse for some lower and moderate income Americans who are being charged above-average premiums. That's because insurance companies factor in things like occupation, education, even somebody's credit rating. So, it all comes down to risk.

In other words, the perception can be that a lower income person may be more likely to get into an accident based on those factors that I mentioned. The study also found that in some states, insurers are charging less for standard coverage and more for minimum coverage, which is really surprising.

Lower income consumers are attracted to minimum coverage and they end up paying more. The consequence: as many as 20 percent of car owners who make less than $47,000 a year are driving around without car insurance. That ends up costing everybody more money, especially if there's some sort of an accident -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: We'll follow that. What do you expect from the markets today? Opening bell coming up in about seven minutes.

TAYLOR: Yes. We are looking at a higher open. Futures on the Dow are up about 57, 59 points. Leaders in Europe have agreed to a new financial firewall. That's encouraging.

Finally, we're getting some information out of Europe. Still no deal on Greek debt. That could hold back some gains. But we've had some earnings from ExxonMobil, and Pfizer. Exxon profit was up just slightly to $9.5 billion.

Pfizer profit was cut in half last quarter, but not surprising, considering its blockbuster cholesterol drug Lipitor lost its patent protection in November. So, clearly, they're trying to struggle to keep those consumers that would have bought Lipitor but are now may be going for generic version.

We've got about six minutes ago before the opening bell -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right. Felicia, thanks.

And coming up, what the Florida primary says about the upcoming primary election. We'll talk with the political editor of the state's biggest newspaper about what we might learn by the end of the day.

And she was kicked off the ballot because a judge says her English isn't up to par. A legitimate issue or a personal vendetta? Details ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Checking top stories now.

The U.N. Security Council is considering a call for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to step down for reasons shown in this home video posted online, showing rebels in street fights with Syrian forces, and Syrian forces allegedly targeting and killing the anti- government protesters.

Suspected U.S. drone strikes kill at least nine people in southern Yemen. Yemeni security officials say those killed had links to al Qaeda.

And American aid worker Jessica Buchanan heading home after being freed by U.S. Special Forces in Somalia. Buchanan and her Danish co-worker had been held for three months before last week's rescue by a Navy SEAL unit.

Well, in Florida, voting is underway in what may be the most important contest so far in this election season. Three states have already held votes and three different Republicans have won. But Florida offers the largest haul yet, 50 delegates. And the winner takes all of them.

Recent polls show Mitt Romney with a double digit lead over Newt Gingrich right now.

Six hundred thousand ballots have been cast in Florida's early voting already. The state's diverse population demands tailored messages, too. A speech that draws applause in Jacksonville -- well, it may fall flat in Orlando.

Adam Smith knows all of this too well. He's the political editor of "The Tampa Bay Times."

Adam, you actually wrote that Florida is more of a true litmus test than the three previous states that hold early voting. Explain.

ADAM SMITH, "TAMPA BAY TIMES": Well, absolutely. The reason Florida's such a battleground is because it really is a microcosm of America. You've got urban voters, suburban voters, rural voters.

You've got the South basically in north Florida. You've got transplanted New Yorkers in southeast Florida, and you've got everybody from everywhere else in the country in between.

It's the first state where more than one in 10 Republican primary voters are going to be Hispanic.

PHILLIPS: You know, and you talk about Florida's size, right? And candidates have had to really rely more on TV ads and town hall meetings. As we know, a lot of those ads got really nasty.

How do you think all of that shaped this race?

SMITH: You know, everybody complains about negative ads, but they work. That's clearly really the main thing that happened to Newt Gingrich. He came in here with a lot of momentum and he says he's been carpet bombed. He was carpet bombed. The ads against him have been about five to one overwhelmingly negative.

And, you know, if you're Mitt Romney, assuming if he gets the nomination, what he's got to worry about is his negatives get spiked up a little bit in the process of being so negative in the primary.

PHILLIPS: Well, it's interesting. You know, South Carolinians say they were totally turned off by the negative ads. You say but they work.

Did you see similar reaction among Floridians?

SMITH: Oh, yes. Everybody says they're turned off, they're fed up, they're disgusted, but they still have an effect. That's why -- that's why they spend millions and millions of dollars doing them.

PHILLIPS: Marco Rubio on CNN early this morning saying, look, Floridians just care about the economy or that's the number one issue, the economy, getting jobs. What am I going to wake up and be able to go to work again?

What do you think? How much is the economy driving this primary?

SMITH: I think it's absolutely this is a state that is really has a lot of anxiety in the electorate on both sides of the aisle. You know, 44 percent of homeowners in the state are underwater in their mortgages. Unemployment's about 10 percent, probably closer to 15 percent when you factor in those people that aren't even trying anymore.

So, that is absolutely the number one issue here.

PHILLIPS: Adam Smith, political editor of "The Tampa Bay Times," you don't have a problem holding on that job. You've had quite a busy season and will continue to, and especially as we get back to Florida.

Adam, thanks so much.

Well, CNN tonight, all eyes on the Florida primary, of course. We're kicking of our special coverage at 6:00 Eastern with a special edition of "JOHN KING, USA." That's followed by with complete live coverage of the primary result at 7:00 with Wolf Blitzer, Erin Burnett, Anderson Cooper, Candy Crowley, John King, and much, much more.

Well, Elton John has some Super Bowl halftime advice for Madonna. We'll tell you what he hopes she does and doesn't do this weekend.

But, first, let's take a check on the big board right now. Opening bell rang about two minutes ago. Dow Industrials in positive territory, up 60 points.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: All right. You thought Donald Trump owned the phrase, you're fired. Simon Cowell apparently holding on to his ruthless reputation.

"Showbiz Tonight" host A.J. Hammer here.

This seems to be the buzz in the entertainment world today.

A.J. HAMMER, "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT' HOST: Yes, Kyra, this is a huge shakeup for the "X Factor." This news was coming in in a flurry overnight. The real shocker with all of this is the reports that Paula Abdul won't be back for the second season of "X Factor." That that move is still not official yet.

But "Showbiz Tonight" has confirmed that show host Steve Jones and judge Nicole Scherzinger will not be returning to the "X Factor." And that really is not entirely surprising. It's been buzzed about for some times now.

But the reports about Paula are really stunning to me. I'm actually pretty sad about that. And, again, we don't have official confirmation on this just yet. But if this is all true, this leaves Simon Cowell and L.A. Reid as the only holdovers on the judging stand.

Simon, of course, runs the show and he was considered the main draw for it. So, he's not going anywhere. L.A.'s record label, they sign the contestants. He's not going anywhere.

The show was a victim of its own expectations because it did very well in the ratings, but Simon, he set the bar high, saying he wanted these huge numbers that he didn't attain. He wanted a show that was going to compete with "American Idol" right out of the gate. And that just couldn't happen, pretty tall order there.

So, he's making these changes to shake things up. I bet they're going to go with some big celebrity judges like "American Idol" did with Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler.

But the truth is now, Kyra, if whatever changes he has in mind don't work out for season two, the show is going to be in some serious, serious trouble.

PHILLIPS: OK. Stay tuned.

Now serious, serious trouble, starting trouble, I don't know, how do you define it? Madonna and Elton John, what's going on between these two?

HAMMER: Here's how I define it. Petty. It's a little petty for two huge stars who are these mature adults to be kind of going after each other. I think in a way they're having a little fun, which they have done throughout musical history.

But here's what Elton John had to say on "Good Morning America" about Madonna's upcoming Super Bowl halftime show this weekend. Watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What would your advice be to Madonna this year?

ELTON JOHN, ENTERTAINER: Make sure you lip sync good.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HAMMER: Simple as that. Make sure you lip sync good.

Elton John has said he's never seen a halftime show that he thought was any good. He's publicly been giving Madonna the business for a few weeks now since the Golden Globes. He didn't appreciate her song beating his.

But Madonna's camp has reportedly responded to this little lip sync, Super Bowl half time show bashing by saying Madonna does not lip sync, nor does she spend her time trashing other artists. So, the feud or quasi-feud, whatever you want to call it --

PHILLIPS: The petty feud.

HAMMER: -- rolls on. It's just. It's petty. Yes.

PHILLIPS: Can't we all just get along? A.J., thank you.

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange reportedly making a cameo in a popular American TV show and he never had to leave the U.K. to do it. A.J. is back with us next hour with more showbiz headlines.

Her English got her kicked often the ballot.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALEJANDRINA CABRERA, CITY COUNCIL HOPEFUL: He say I can't speak English, read and write.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: This city council hopeful says her English is good enough though, so she's fighting back.

And fallout in California after a college admits inflating freshman entrance exams scores for the last six years. We investigate.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Checking news cross-country now:

In Washington, a defiant group of occupiers refuse to pack up their gear. The ban began Monday at noon. Protesters can still stay in the park around the clock, but their tents must be open at all times.

In California, the admissions officer accused of inflating college entrance exam scores since 2005 has resigned. The president of Claremont McKenna College says SAT scores were exaggerated by 10 to 20 points.

And they're still waiting for winter in parts of Minnesota. In fact, it's been so warm that many local businesses are seeing as much as 30 percent drop in sales. Industries like ice fishing and snow removal have all taken a big hit.

Kicked off the ballot for speaking poor English? Not so fast says this city council hopeful.

Here's CNN Thelma Gutierrez.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

THELMA GUTIERREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the small border town of San Luis, Arizona, Alejandrina Cabrera is somewhat of a political celebrity, without having to spend a day in office.

ALEJANDRINA CABRERA, CITY COUNCIL HOPEFUL: They're my friend.

GUTIERREZ: The married woman of two made national headlines after her bid for a seat on the San Luis City Council was blocked by the city's mayor.

CABRERA: He say I can't speak English, read and write.

GUTIERREZ: At issue, Cabrera's fluency in English. She's a United States citizen. She was born in Arizona. But like many people in this small agricultural town who live and work on both sides of the U.S./Mexican border, Cabrera was raised in Mexico where life is more affordable.

When she was 17, she came back to the U.S. to finish high school. But by then, Spanish was her primary language.

Cabrera says no one in San Luis, where most people speak Spanish had ever questioned her English skills until she decided to run for public office.

MAYOR JUAN CARLOS ESCAMILLA, SAN LUIS, ARIZONA: She does not understand English.

GUTIERREZ: Juan Carlos Escamilla, the mayor of San Luis, says under Arizona law, elected officials must be proficient in English. He says Cabrera doesn't qualify to run for office. And as a citizen, he filed a lawsuit against her.

And she was forced to take an English proficiency test paid for by local taxpayers to stop her candidacy. Cabrera says this is political payback because she spearheaded two recall campaigns against the mayor.

(on camera): Not a personal vendetta against her?

ESCAMILLA: Not personal. Not a personal vendetta to get her, absolutely not.

GUTIERREZ (voice-over): After a lengthy court hearing, Cabrera was disqualified from the race. Her attorney, John Minore, says her civil rights have been violated.

(on camera): She did not pass her proficiency test.

JOHN MINORE, CABRERA'S ATTORNEY: What test is there to pass though? There's no test in the statute. And they're denying her the political process, and let the people of this community decide they want her on the city council or not.

GUTIERREZ: What do you tell those people who say, but you're a citizen, you live here now and you're running for office, you need to speak English?

ALEJANDRINA CABRERA, RUNNING FOR CITY COUNCIL: I will speak English. A little, maybe, but it's enough for the city council.

GUTIERREZ: Cabrera says she's taking her appeal all the way to the Arizona Supreme Court.

Thelma Gutierrez, CNN, San Luis, Arizona.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: So what's 21 miles wide and hurling closer to earth by the hour? An asteroid, of course. We'll have the details next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Well, if you have a clear sky tonight, you might just get a glimpse of the asteroid 433-Eros, am I saying that right?

ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes.

PHILLIPS: Ok. Give me more scoop Rob Marciano?

MARCIANO: It's going to be the closest it's been since 1975 tonight.

PHILLIPS: Ok.

MARCIANO: It will be visible for a few more days. You will need either a really good set of binoculars or a telescope. Here is what it looks like. And it's been around obviously a while. We've seen it, you see it's kind of tumbling around. It tumbles and rotates about five or six times a day. We did have a satellite that came close to it and actually landed briefly on it back in 2000, so we know a fair amount about this thing.

It looks like a big potato, but it's big. This is the second largest asteroid that comes close -- close enough to earth for us to actually -- actually worry. It's 20 miles by about seven or eight miles. And this is what it looks like.

So it's called Eros. It was discovered back in 1898. And today a mentioned it makes its closest pass to us. But still 16 million miles away. So it's pretty far and it's in no danger. It orbits the sun every couple years.

Actually let's show you the orbit right here. We are right now -- here's where the asteroid is right over us. So here's where the sun is. There's Venus, there's Mercury. So you see how it makes this traverse or orbit around -- around the sun and around us. So it's real close to us right now.

And get out there and have a look. You will need to look with your telescope and near Leo. That's the constellation we're going to look for.

One other thing I want to point out other than it looking like a giant potato. If you weigh 100 pounds here, if you were to go to this asteroid because the gravity is a little bit less, you only weigh one ounce. So if you're looking to diet, this will be the place to go.

Also Eros is the Greek God of love. It was named after that because it was discovered around Valentine's Day. So take your sweetie out there and have a look.

PHILLIPS: Oh you're getting a little mushy on us here.

MARCIANO: I'm going to have some waterworks here in a second.

PHILLIPS: Rob thanks.

MARCIANO: See you in a bit.

PHILLIPS: Let's "Fast Forward" now to some stories that we're working on straight ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM.

3:00 Eastern, the U.N. Security Council hears from the head of the Arab League. It's been monitoring the humanitarian crisis there in Syria. The Council is also going to consider a resolution calling on Syria's President to step down.

Then at 8:00 Eastern the last polls close in Florida's primary and a clear front-runner could emerge in the Republican presidential race. You can watch the results as they come in with of course, the best political team on television. That's right here on CNN tonight.

And 11:30 Eastern, First Lady Michelle Obama will be a guest on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno". She's promoting the second anniversary of her "Let's Move" campaign to fight childhood obesity.

All right, we have a lot more -- a lot of more developments in the next hour of the CNN NEWSROOM. Let's go ahead and check in first with our Zain Verjee in London -- Zain?

ZAIN VERJEE, ANCHOR, CNN INTERNATIONAL: Hey Kyra, clashes are raging on the ground in Syria and battle lines have also been drawn over at the United Nations in New York. I'll tell you what some of the newspapers around the world are saying.

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Did the President of the United States reveal intelligence secrets? I'm Barbara Starr at the Pentagon and we'll have more on that, coming up.

JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm John Zarrella in Lithia, Florida. So how is voter turnout today? I'll tell you at the top of the hour.

PHILLIPS: All right guys. Thanks so much.

And also coming up next hour, we've got former Florida Governor Charlie Crist, he's also a former Republican. We're going to talk about dirty campaigning, the ground game in Florida, and I'll ask him who he's voting for. That's coming up at the top of the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: All right. It's got to be the dunk of the year, Jeff Fischel.

JEFF FISCHEL, ANCHOR, HLN SPORTS: It is. If you'd asked me 24 hours earlier, I would have said something completely different. Honestly on Sunday, Lebron James had this amazing dunk where he like dunked like over a guy bigger than Kyra you know like this that was for an alley-oop. It was amazing.

And then 24 hours later we're talking about something completely different. In fact even Lebron is impressed.

Blake Griffin is a monster. He dunked over Ricardo in the dunk contest at the all-star games last year, but the one last night may have been his best so far. Griffin's Clippers taking on the Oklahoma City Thunder, gives the Staples Center crowd something to scream about.

Here he comes and he goes right over Kendrick Perkins. I mean the guy is 6'10, and he actually throws the ball down over Perkins. It's worth multiple looks; I don't get tired of watching this. A slam right in Perkins' face.

Clippers win the game, 112-100; it's their third straight win. They lead the Pacific division. NBA players all over the league completely go nuts over this, including Lebron. He tweeted "Dunk of the year. Blake Griffin just dunked on Kendrick Perkins so hard. Wow. Guess I'm number two now." He was talking about the dunk from the day before. Number 6 there that is Lebron. So Lebron even impressed -- a great dunk.

All right. Let's talk Super Bowl. We don't know if the Patriots' record setting tight end Rob Gronkowski will be healthy enough to play in Sunday's Super Bowl. But whether he plays or starts he's already a star in this video by rapper Collie C. It's called "Welcome to the Gronk Party".

(MUSIC)

FISCHEL: All right. There's Gronk. He set an NFL record with 17 touchdowns by a tight end this season. Also most yards by a tight end, having a great season. Hopefully we get to see the Patriots at full strength in the Super Bowl, because he is out with an injured ankle right now. We hope to see him Sunday in the game.

Kyra -- all right. Everyone talks about the Super Bowl commercials. The one everyone is talking about features Bueller, Bueller? Honda has saved Ferris. He's back. Matthew Broderick just wants another day off.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MATTHEW BRODERICK, ACTOR: I'm not sure what it is. I guess I'll be ok.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm calling the studio, Matthew, you're not shooting today.

BRODERICK: No, people are depending on me. Movies bring so much joy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Stop. It's done, just get some rest. Diva.

BRODERICK: He bought it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FISCHEL: Those of us of a certainly age just love this. Right? I mean --

PHILLIPS: All-time classic movie.

FISCHEL: And every scene in this is a direct reference to the movie. It's great. There're even little touches you might not catch right away. You see a guy in the background wearing that leopard skin sweater vest, remember, he was wearing. And, of course, the point is he goes driving around in his Honda like he drove around in the Ferrari in the movie.

It's fantastic. If you go online, it's about 2 1/2 minutes. I don't know how long we'll see Sunday in the big game. But --

(CROSSTALK)

PHILLIPS: Everyone's going to have to -- FISCHEL: I don't believe in isms -- I just believe in him.

PHILLIPS: -- the younger generation now will go out and rent the movie.

FISCHEL: I have to check with the kids who run this place now, and say, do you even know what this is about? Apparently fortunately they do.

PHILLIPS: That's great. It's hilarious. Thanks, Jeff.

FISCHEL: Ok.

PHILLIPS: Well, how would you like to own a car that once belonged to Barack Obama. Well, you can if you have about $1 million. CNN's Jeanne Moos tells us who's trying to cash in on Mr. Obama's old set of wheels.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Ever wonder what happens to your old car after you get rid of it? Well, when it's President Obama's old car, this guy's trying to sell it on eBay.

(on camera); And you're asking a million bucks?

TIM O'BOYLE, CAR OWNER: $1 million. It's a lot of money, isn't it?

MOOS (voice-over): Especially for a 2005 model that would normally said under a $20,000. It's a top of the line Chrysler 300c with a powerful V-8 engine.

O'BOYLE: Basically what it is it's like a luxury hot rod.

MOOS: The eBay posting includes the registration for the vehicle, then Senator Obama leased the gas guzzler, but when he ran for president, dumped it for an environmentally-correct Ford Escape hybrid.

Restaurant manager, Tim O'Boyle (ph) bought the Chrysler at a Chicago area showroom.

O'BOYLE: On the way out, somebody said you better hang on to that car. And I said why is that? It used to belong to Mr. Obama. And I said yes, right. And the guy said, no, I'm serious.

For Tim, this is what really brought home the Obama connection, fiddling with the radio. He found Mr. Obama's preset favorite stations, from rock 'n' roll to country.

O'BOYLE: I was like, holy cow, this is the real deal here, you know?

MOOS: Tim says he's absolutely an Obama supporter. The President has said how much he misses driving. At a factory visit he got applause for steering a few yards straight ahead. His old Chrysler has fewer than 21,000 miles on it.

You know the asking price is high when you have to write please understand that the $1 million starting price is not a joke. The eBay ad mentions that Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad got $2.5 million for charity when his 1977 Peugeot was auctioned off. And it notes that Hitler's convertible Mercedes went for $8 million.

Tim says he walks but note no Obama leftovers under the floor mats, no French Fries under the seat.

Those who have pointed out that they see the check engine light is on in the eBay photos rest assured everything works, but since no million dollar bids come in, Tim may consider lower offers. A million for a 7-year-old Chrysler is enough to make a driver lose control.

Jeanne Moos, CNN.

O'BOYLE: It's a lot of money, isn't it?

MOOS: New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)